The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism produces in-depth investigative reports to fill gaps in coverage across Wisconsin. It has a staff of journalists and student interns and is housed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Center collaborates with other news organizations to distribute its fact-checked reporting widely. It has trained many student journalists and produced over 250 reports reaching over 53 million people on issues like water quality, solitary confinement, and Scott Walker's administration.

1. REPORT TO STAKEHOLDERS
JULY 2016
WISCONSIN CENTER FOR
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM

2. REPORT TO STAKEHOLDERS, JULY 2016 2
Reliable information that holds the powerful accountable is essential to our democracy. But investigative
journalism is at risk: News organizations are cutting staffs as traditional sources of revenue decline. The
Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism is countering those problems with its replicable, collaborative
nonprofit model.
The Center increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin while training current
and future journalists. A nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization, it focuses on government integrity and
quality of life issues including the environment, economy, justice system, education and health.
Our guiding values: Protect the vulnerable. Expose wrongdoing. Seek solutions.
Since July 2009, the Center has produced more than 250 major news reports that have been cited,
published or broadcast by more than 350 newspapers, radio and TV stations and news websites in
Wisconsin and nationwide. The estimated audience of the Center’s reports exceeds 53 million people.
The Center seeks to collaborate with, rather to simply compete against, other news organizations to maximize
the use of resources. Reports are fact-checked to ensure accuracy and distributed free to news organizations,
who are permitted to edit the stories or add their own reporting to meet the needs of their audiences.
Housed in the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication, the
Center has a staff of four full-time professional journalists, three to four paid student interns who work
as investigative reporters and public engagement and marketing assistants, part-time staff members
and skilled volunteers who assist in journalistic and financial operations. The Center also collaborates
with journalism classes, its partners at Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television, and news
organizations nationwide. A nationally acclaimed board of directors, including experts in investigative
journalism, nonprofit journalism and nonprofit financial management, determines policies, while day-to-day
operations are handled by the staff.
WHO WE ARE
Solitary confinement in state prisons is a topic the Center continues to cover in 2016. Advocate Talib Akbar (left) spent time in solitary
and now works to raise awareness about ending the practice. (Photos: Coburn Dukehart/WCIJ)

3. GREAT JOURNALISM: In recent months, the Center
released groundbreaking investigations that reached
every corner of the state on topics including Wisconsin’s
drinking water, solitary confinement in the state’s prisons,
controversial debt buying practices and gun violence among
young people. We produce in-depth investigations that
are not yet being covered around the state, prompting
discussions on issues that are important to the people of
Wisconsin.
INNOVATION: Over the past year, we have told our
stories in new and inventive ways. We created explanatory
GIFs using sand and stop-motion photography to explain
Wisconsin’s frac sand mining industry. We commissioned
artist Carrie Roy to create sculptures that bring complicated
statistics on Wisconsin’s groundwater contamination to life.
We took the pieces on a seven-day tour across the state.
And soon we will begin producing documentaries.
HONORS: In May 2016, the Center was honored with
six gold awards and two bronze, including the gold
for best investigative story or series, in the Milwaukee
Press Club’s annual Awards for Excellence in Wisconsin
Journalism contest. The Center has won 40 awards from
the Milwaukee Press Club since 2011. And in February
2016, the Center received the State Bar of Wisconsin’s
highest journalistic award, the 2015 Golden Gavel, for its
coverage of Wisconsin’s efforts to reduce the use of solitary
confinement.
STRENGTHENING OUR TEAM: We have enhanced our
capacities to produce superb journalism and training while
assembling our finest development, public engagement
and business team. We hired the Center’s co-founder,
Dee J. Hall, as managing editor to lead the Center’s news
operations. With the hiring of University of Wisconsin-
Madison graduate Coburn Dukehart, formerly a senior
photo editor at National Geographic, to become our Digital
and Multimedia Director, and Bridgit Bowden as Wisconsin
Public Radio’s Mike Simonson Memorial Investigative
Reporting Fellow, we are expanding the quality of our
journalism to reach broader audiences across the state and
the nation.
SERVING WISCONSIN NEWSROOMS: The Center’s
reporting fills a void. Some newsrooms have been cut in
half — or more — in the past decade as the news business
has experienced a catastrophic loss of revenue. As media
outlets across the state shrink, the capacity of Wisconsin
journalists to delve deeply into complex problems has
diminished. The Center’s reports fill gaps in crucial
coverage areas.
TRAINING YOUNG JOURNALISTS: The Center is an
important training ground for current and future generations
of investigative journalists. More than two dozen students
have served internships or done full-­time freelance work
with the Center, and in 2015, the Center hired its first public
engagement and marketing intern to assist with business
operations. We will continue our collaboration with the UW-
Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication to
hire students for our investigative reporting and marketing
internships and offer our expertise through guest lectures
and teaching investigative reporting courses.
FUNDRAISING: The Center continues to receive
contributions from national, statewide and local foundations
as well as individual donors. Most recently, the Center
enlisted two senior executives with distinguished careers
in philanthropy, management and journalism to our
development team, now led by Associate Director Lauren
Fuhrmann, to strengthen the Center’s ability to generate
revenue.
NATIONAL LEADERSHIP: The Center has distinguished
itself as a leader of state-focused nonprofit investigative
reporting, ethics, financial transparency, content
distribution, metrics and impact tracking. The Center’s
leadership in these activities is largely responsible for
national funders’ continuing support as we share our
knowledge with other organizations. On the state level,
three key Center figures serve on the board of directors
of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council,
promoting public access to the workings of government,
and Fuhrmann serves as vice president of the Madison Pro
Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
REPORT TO STAKEHOLDERS, JULY 2016 3
HIGHLIGHTS
Managing Editor Dee J. Hall and reporting intern Abigail
Becker work on fact-checking an upcoming investigation.
(Photo: Bridgit Bowden/WCIJ)
Our journalistic and business operations are advancing.

4. REPORT TO STAKEHOLDERS, JULY 2016 4
FAILURE AT THE FAUCET
Launched in 2015, the Center collaborated with students to
investigate a variety of contaminants that can be found in
drinking water across Wisconsin, including bacteria and lead.
CRUEL AND UNUSUAL?
The Center investigated allegations of abuse of inmates by
prison guards and use of solitary confinement in Wisconsin’s
prisons, which has been likened to torture.
PRECIOUS LIVES
A partnership with multiple news organizations in Milwaukee,
this award-winning series looks at the effects and costs of gun
violence on Wisconsin’s young people.
SCOTT WALKER’S WISCONSIN
Stories examine Scott Walker’s time as governor of Wisconsin
— the effects of his policies on public sector unions, job
creation, public records, the environment and more.
EXOTIC AND EXPLOITED?
Just as the “Milwaukee lion” was making headlines, reporter
Haley Henschel published an investigation on how the state’s
lax animal laws create a haven for exotic pet owners.
CHILDREN LEFT BEHIND
Reporter Abigail Becker explored reasons for faltering
performance and ways to improve the state of education for
Wisconsin’s poor children and students of color.
MAJOR INVESTIGATIONS

5. REPORT TO STAKEHOLDERS, JULY 2016 5
■■ Amid uproar following the discovery of state budget
language that would have gutted the open records law
in Wisconsin, managing editor Dee J. Hall reported that
Gov. Scott Walker and GOP leaders decided to remove the
provisions from the budget. Hall found similarities between
wording in the budget and recent records request denials
from the governor’s office and the state Department of
Administration, fueling speculation — later confirmed — that
the proposed changes had come straight from Walker’s office.
These stories remind us of the importance of open government
and barriers reporters and citizens face in understanding what
elected leaders are doing and how tax money is being spent.
During the controversy, Executive Director Andy Hall spoke out
in the Center’s newsletter and national accounts published in
Columbia Journalism Review and USA Today.
■■ In a version of Sean Kirkby’s report, “Hundreds hurt, killed
when Wisconsin teens get guns” published by the Superior
Telegram, the newspaper’s editors localized the story to
include an anecdote from their community, making the issue
more relevant to northern Wisconsin.
■■ As the search for the “Milwaukee lion” made national
headlines in summer 2015, calls for stricter legislation
regarding exotic pet ownership were being broadcast across
the state. In July, Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, proposed
a bill that would prohibit private possession, sale and
propagation of a number of exotic animals. Reporter Haley
Henschel’s comprehensive investigation of the state’s lax
animal laws came at a crucial time, raising awareness about
the particulars of Wisconsin’s laws and fueling calls for action
and discussions in the legislature.
■■ The Center’s 2014-16 reports on the treatment of
inmates in state prisons resulted in heightened scrutiny
of the Department of Corrections’ practices and pressure
from activists to reform policies related to solitary and
administrative confinement. In June 2016, the Center
reported on the launch of an inmate hunger strike protesting
long-term confinement practices.
■■ Most commonly, the Center’s impact manifests itself in
raising awareness about underreported issues and serving
as a catalyst for conversations and continued reporting from
news organizations across the state. So far in 2016, the
Center’s reports on frac sand mining, state prisons, drinking
water and Scott Walker’s administration have been referenced
in numerous follow-up reports and newspaper editorials.
The Center’s in-depth reports often serve to frame emerging
topics in the media landscape that are followed up on by
daily news organizations.
FAILURE AT THE FAUCET
■■ The series has reached over 3 million people and that
audience continues to grow as we release new stories.
■■ In November, Gov. Scott Walker commented on the
Center’s drinking water reports, saying that his administration
takes them seriously.
■■ The Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters in January
cited Failure at the Faucet in a statement opposing a bill that
would have eased privatization of community water supplies.
■■ Representatives from Culligan Water Wisconsin cited the
Center’s investigations in widely distributed newspaper
editorials and on local television programs across the state
urging residents to test their water.
■■ Newspapers in Mount Horeb, Stoughton, Verona, Plymouth,
Waunakee, Lake Mills and Eau Claire have followed up with
water utility administrators about the presence of lead pipes
in their communities.
■■ In February, two Democratic lawmakers from Madison and
Milwaukee proposed a bill that would require the state to
conduct tap water testing when a child is lead poisoned.
Madison Rep. Chris Taylor said the proposal came in
response to the Center’s ongoing series.
■■ The state Department of Natural Resources in April
unveiled a plan to boost replacement of lead service lines in
low-income neighborhoods.
When we talk about the work of the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, we often
discuss the impact our investigations have. Here are recent examples of impact.
IMPACT
Bridgit Bowden, WPR reporting fellow, featured Sandra
Goodwin (pictured above) in her investigation of controversial
debt buying practices. (Photo: Coburn Dukehart/WCIJ)

6. REPORT TO STAKEHOLDERS, JULY 2016 6
AUDIENCE METRICS
We are proud of the broad reach of our news coverage, a record that few comparable news
organizations can match. With online research from services such as Meltwater and the Wisconsin
Newspaper Association’s News Tracker (the latter provided in-kind by WNA), we have compiled
in-depth metrics on how our stories flow through Wisconsin and across the nation.
2015
January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015
30 investigations
2,058 pickups, mentions, follow-up
reports, columns/editorials and localized
reports
1,692 pickups
273 mentions
10 follow-up reports
77 columns/editorials
6 localized reports
15.9 million total estimated audience
12 million in print
3.9 million online
216 news organizations that published or
cited our work
2016
January 1, 2016 to July 10, 2016
23 investigations
846 pickups, mentions, follow-up reports,
columns/editorials and localized
reports
620 pickups
179 mentions
4 follow-up reports
41 columns/editorials
2 localized reports
5.4 million total estimated audience
4.1 million in print
1.3 million online
137 news organizations that published or
cited our work
These maps show the locations of news organizations in Wisconsin and across the United States that published or cited the
Center’s work from January 1 to December 31, 2015.
2015 COVERAGE MAPS

7. REPORT TO STAKEHOLDERS, JULY 2016 7
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING + ART
In 2015, the Center transformed its reporting on problems with
Wisconsin’s water quality and supply into sculptures that could
be seen and touched — including a life-size half cow and 1,000
balls of wool. We traveled across Wisconsin with the artwork,
hosting a series of free events to introduce the artist, Carrie
Roy, and discuss Wisconsin water issues.
The road show drew hundreds of visitors. Many more
learned of the art project through local news stories. An
estimated audience of nearly 100,000 people learned about
Investigative Reporting + Art through coverage that was
featured on two TV stations and in at least 10 publications
online and in print, including a story in the La Crosse Tribune
noting that the project was “art imitating news.”
A 300 pound half cow, dubbed “Ms. Patty Brown,” (seen
below) was one of several pieces of art taken on the tour. This
sculpture was created to call attention to the tremendous
density of cows in America’s Dairyland — and the tremendous
amount of manure they produce. Brown County has the
largest “cow to cropland ratio” in Wisconsin, totaling a half-
cow per acre. Roy’s life-sized structure stands on a platform
that portrays the volume of manure produced by a single cow
in one day.
The four sculptures are now for sale and proceeds will be split
50-50 by the artist and the Center. For more information, visit:
bit.ly/wcijart.
“My work explores how we relate to data and information —
in a hopefully very human, tangible, visceral way,” said artist
Carrie Roy. Here she explains the piece “Well Water 2:1” to
an audience on the Investigative Reporting + Art tour. (Photo:
Lauren Fuhrmann/WCIJ)

8. REPORT TO STAKEHOLDERS, JULY 2016 8
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The Center was co-founded by award-winning investigative
journalists Andy and Dee J. Hall in January 2009. Its initial
budget was about $150,000. Today the Center’s budget is
about $500,000. We aim to grow to about $1 million to more
fully accomplish the journalistic and training mission while
building a more sustainable and resilient financial base.
The Center is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization
that is funded through grants, donations and sponsorships
from foundations, corporations and individuals, as well as
earned income it receives for producing stories and training
journalists. As a matter of policy, funders exercise no control
over the Center’s editorial decisions, and all funders are
publicly identified, to protect the integrity of our journalism.
We publish a list of our supporters, tax documents and
audited financial statements on our website.
2016 budget: $500,000
Goal: $1 million
In an audio recording training, intern Haley Henschel explains to
Tara Golshan what she had for breakfast. (Photo: Kate Golden)
SUPPORTERS
Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation
Foundation to Promote Open Society
The Joyce Foundation
Evjue Foundation
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Challenge Fund for Innovation in Journalism
Education
Vital Projects Fund
Peters Family Foundation
Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation
Walt Bogdanich
Marcus and Sheila Cohen
Larry Hands and Karen Kendrick-Hands
Phil Hands
Dick Record
Renie Schapiro
Student journalists and young professional reporters attend a free investigative reporting workshop prior to the sixth annual
Wisconsin Watchdog Awards in April. (Photos: Jentri Colello for WCIJ)
...and more than 150 additional individuals, corporations and foundations across the nation.
Visit WisconsinWatch.org to read our stories and make a gift to the Center.